Writing Annotated Bibliographies: About Annotated Bibliographies

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a bibliography that includes a paragraph following each citation that summarizes or evaluates the source being cited. "Each annotation is generally three to seven sentences long. In some bibliographies, the annotation merely describes the content and scope of the source; in others, the annotation also evaluates the source’s reliability, currency, and relevance to a researcher’s purpose" (Glossary of Research Terms, n.d.).

Purpose:

The primary purpose of bibliographic citations is to assist the reader in finding the sources used in the writing of a work. Depending on the assignment, an annotated bibligraphy might have different purposes:

provide a literature review on a particular subject

help formulate a thesis on a subject

demonstrate the quality of research that you have done

show that you understand each source cited

provide examples of the types of sources available

describe other items on a topic that may be of interest to the reader

explore the subject for further research

Types of annotated bibliographies

There are 2 common types of annotations - descriptive and critical or evaluative.

A Critical annotation includes the same information as a descriptive annotation, but will also include value judgments or comments on the effectiveness of the work. [In this context, critical means evaluative and may include both positive and negative comments.] When writing a critical annotation, include some of the these features:

The importance of the work’s contribution to the literature of the subject